Your Right to Know

Free and reduced-price school lunches, welfare checks,
home-delivered meals for seniors and other assistance programs many Ohioans rely on will continue,
at least for the coming weeks, despite the shutdown of the federal government.

State officials say they are waiting for more information from the federal government about
potential disruptions of funding, but most programs have enough money on hand to continue services
for at least a few weeks.

“For the time being, most Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ benefits and services will
continue without interruption,” said Benjamin Johnson, spokesman for the state agency, which
administers many assistance programs.

The women and infants nutrition program has sufficient reserves to continue through November,
according to the Ohio Department of Health.

And, elderly and homebound Ohioans served by Meals on Wheels “will continue to receive services,
as virtually all of Ohio’s Area Agencies on Aging operate on a calendar year and have reserves to
continue operations,” said Jim Lynch, a spokesman the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.